September 25, 2007 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Private industry compensation $25.93 per hour on average in June 2007

In June 2007, private industry employer compensation costs averaged $25.93 per hour worked.

Employer costs per hour worked for employee compensation, private industry, June 2007
[Chart data—TXT]

Wages and salaries averaged $18.32 per hour. Employer costs for legally required benefits averaged $2.21 per hour worked, insurance benefits averaged $1.97, paid leave averaged $1.77, retirement and savings averaged 88 cents, and supplemental pay averaged 78 cents.

Legally required benefits Include employer costs for Social Security and Medicare, federal and state unemployment insurance, and workers’ compensation.

These data come from the Compensation Cost Trends program. For additional information, see "Employer Costs for Employee Compensation–June 2007" (PDF) (TXT), news release USDL 07-1434.